Congress to sound poll bugle at end of BJNY on March 17 in Mumbai

Mumbai: The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, led by Rahul Gandhi, will end with a rally at Shivaji Park in Mumbai on March 17, according to Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole.

He stated that the Congress party will sound its poll trumpet at the event in preparation for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The yatra will enter Maharashtra from Nandurbar on March 12 and preparations for it are almost complete, said Mr Patole.

“The concluding rally of the Nyay Yatra will be held at Shivaji Park in Mumbai on March 17,” he said. The party has got all permissions for the rally, he said.

Mr Patole said leaders from the Maha Vikas Aghadi, comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP group led by Sharad Pawar, will attend the event.

“We (Congress) will sound the poll bugle for the Lok Sabha elections there,” he said.

Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra

On the second day of the Gujarat leg of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on March 8 resumed his journey from Dahod town and headed towards Godhra in the adjoining Panchmahal district where he will address people.

Rahul Gandhi’s yatra entered the state from Rajasthan on Thursday. After addressing people at Jhalod town of Dahod District, he stayed overnight at a village in the area.

On Friday morning, Gandhi visited Kamboi Dham near Jhalod to pay his respects to tribal icon Govind Guru.

Later, when the yatra resumed from Dahod town on Friday morning, Congress workers and locals greeted him on the route. Tribals also gathered at a traffic roundabout and performed their traditional dance to greet the opposition leader, who reciprocated by waving back to them while sitting in an open-roof SUV.

He also cut a large cake which was presented to him by women Congress workers on the occasion of International Women’s Day, which is celebrated on March 8 every year.

Gandhi is scheduled to address people at Godhra before travelling to Halol town. He will spend the night at Jambughoda village in Panchmahal district.

On Lok Sabha candidates

Congress leaders on March 7 held a review meeting in the presence of the party’s state in-charge Ramesh Chennithala ahead of the yatra.

Mr Patole said the BJP is “stealing leaders from other parties as it does not have competent candidates of its own”.

He also took a swipe at the ruling party for not including Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, who is from Nagpur, in the first list of candidates.

“The name of such a national leader (Gadkari) should have been on the first list of BJP but it hasn't been done. Congress has a capable candidate for Nagpur and this time the party will win,” he said, adding they will field a candidate in Sangli as well.

In the 2019 general elections, the BJP had won in 23 constituencies, followed by the undivided Shiv Sena, which bagged 18 seats. While the NCP had four seats, one seat each went to the Congress, AIMIM and an Independent candidate.

With PTI inputs